1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to a storage system and a power consumption reduction method for the storage system, and in particular, the invention is suitable for use in a storage system in which plural file servers, each having virtual file servers set therein, constitute a cluster, and a power consumption reduction method for such a storage system.
2. Description of Related Art
In conventional computers, one file server provides one service. In the method proposed in reference 1, plural services can be provided by setting plural virtual file servers in one file server. This technique enables plural services to be provided by a small number of file servers and reduces the number of operating servers, so power consumption can be reduced. In the method proposed in reference 2, virtual file servers can be failed over between file servers. Reference 3 proposes, without limitation to a virtual file server itself, a method relating to the virtual server, in which a standby server is started when a failure occurs in a server and the standby server fails over a virtual file server operating in the failure-occurring server (see reference 1: US 2003/0135578, reference 2: JP2005-267327 A and reference 3: JP2007-148839 A).
Due to the above techniques disclosed in references 1 to 3, a lot of virtual file server services can be provided with a small number of file servers. However, since some virtual file servers constantly operate in each of the file servers, the file servers themselves have to constantly operate.
However, usage frequency for the file servers varies with time depending on how they are used. Accordingly, during a time period when the usage frequency is low, all file servers operate even though the function of all virtual file servers can be provided by a smaller number of file servers, so the power for all the file servers is consumed.